At a Glance
- Tasks: Analyse data to ensure AI safety and prevent misuse across OpenAI's products.
- Company: Join OpenAI, a leader in responsible AI research and deployment.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work locations, and a chance to impact global AI safety.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Tackle mission-critical challenges and shape the future of AI responsibly.
- Qualifications: Strong analytical skills, experience with SQL and Python, and a passion for safety.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 € per year.
About the Team
OpenAI’s Safety teams work to ensure our products are safe, trusted, and resilient as frontier AI systems scale globally. We tackle some of the company’s most important challenges across understanding and preventing misuse and misalignment, intercepting fraud and abuse, and protecting vulnerable users. We are hiring Data Scientists to help build the analytical foundations that allow OpenAI to deploy increasingly capable AI responsibly. This is a high-impact role operating at the intersection of product, safety, policy, and research.
About the Role
As a Data Scientist, Safety, you will help solve complex and ambiguous problems where rigorous analysis directly informs critical decisions. Depending on your background and team alignment, you may work on areas such as:
- Measure harmful or abusive behaviour across OpenAI’s products
- Detect fraud, manipulation, coordinated misuse
- Evaluate and improve safety classifiers, rules systems, mitigation systems, and human review workflows
- Design experiments and causal analyses to understand product, policy, and mitigation impacts
- Build prevalence estimators, dashboards, monitoring systems, and executive decision frameworks
- Diagnose gaps in safety and integrity systems using behavioural and product data, and help quantify and navigate false positive / false negative tradeoffs
- Translate ambiguous safety risks into measurable problems and evidence-based recommendations
- Partner with Product, Engineering, Policy, Research, and Operations teams to improve safety outcomes
- Build zero-to-one analytical systems in rapidly evolving domains
Ideal Candidate
We’re looking for strong Data Scientists who thrive in ambiguous, high-leverage environments. You may be a fit if you have:
- Strong statistical reasoning and analytical judgement
- Experience with experimentation, causal inference, or observational analysis
- Strong SQL and Python skills
- Experience working with messy, incomplete, or noisy datasets
- Ability to structure open-ended business or risk problems
- Excellent communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders
- High ownership and comfort operating independently
Helpful backgrounds include:
- Trust & Safety / Integrity
- Fraud & abuse
- Security analytics
- AI/ML model measurement and evaluation
- Alignment and AI safety research
- Biosecurity, synthetic biology, infectious diseases, or computational biology
Why This Role
- Work on mission-critical problems with world-level impact
- Help shape how frontier AI systems are deployed safely
- Operate with unusual ownership and visibility
- Solve novel problems where there are no existing playbooks
- Join highly collaborative teams working across OpenAI
Location
San Francisco, New York, or London depending on team alignment and business need.
About OpenAI
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.
We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.
Data Scientist, Safety in London employer: OpenAI
OpenAI is an exceptional employer, offering Data Scientists the opportunity to work on mission-critical problems that have a global impact. With a strong emphasis on collaboration and innovation, employees are encouraged to take ownership of their projects while benefiting from a diverse and inclusive work culture. Located in vibrant cities like San Francisco, New York, and London, OpenAI provides a dynamic environment where professional growth is supported through continuous learning and engagement with cutting-edge AI technologies.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Data Scientist, Safety in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, especially those already working at OpenAI. A friendly chat can give you insights and maybe even a referral. Don’t be shy; we all love a good conversation!
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews! Brush up on your SQL and Python skills, and be ready to discuss your experience with messy datasets. We want to see how you tackle complex problems, so have some examples up your sleeve.
✨Tip Number 3
Show off your analytical chops! Be prepared to explain your thought process when it comes to experimentation and causal analysis. We love candidates who can break down ambiguous problems into clear, actionable insights.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows us you’re serious about joining our mission to deploy AI safely and responsibly.
We think you need these skills to ace Data Scientist, Safety in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Analytical Skills:As a Data Scientist, you'll need to demonstrate your strong statistical reasoning and analytical judgement. Make sure to highlight any relevant experience with experimentation, causal inference, or observational analysis in your application.
Tailor Your Application:We want to see how your unique background fits with our mission. Be sure to customise your CV and cover letter to reflect your experience in trust & safety, fraud detection, or AI safety research. This will help us understand how you can contribute to our team.
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, clarity is key! Use straightforward language to explain your past experiences and how they relate to the role. Remember, we’re looking for excellent communication skills, so make it easy for us to see your potential.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at OpenAI
✨Understand the Role
Before your interview, make sure you thoroughly understand the responsibilities of a Data Scientist in Safety. Familiarise yourself with the key challenges mentioned in the job description, such as measuring harmful behaviour and detecting fraud. This will help you articulate how your skills align with their needs.
✨Showcase Your Analytical Skills
Prepare to discuss specific examples of your statistical reasoning and analytical judgement. Think about past projects where you tackled ambiguous problems or worked with messy datasets. Be ready to explain your thought process and the impact of your work on decision-making.
✨Communicate Effectively
Since you'll be working with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, practice explaining complex concepts in simple terms. Use clear examples to demonstrate your ability to bridge the gap between data science and practical applications, especially in safety contexts.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions that show your interest in the role and the company. Inquire about the current challenges the Safety team is facing or how they measure success in their projects. This not only demonstrates your enthusiasm but also helps you gauge if the role is the right fit for you.
